Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Toronto Blue Jays: Year One

Okay. We're here. Trade done, rebuilding commenced. I'm ready. I'm on board. But now Alex, I need something from you. Now, more than ever, is time to turn the page. End the farcical navel gazing and corpse raping. End Flashback Fridays and all manner of regressive self-wankery.

Comic books do this all the time. The reboot, re-tool, re-imagine, retcon, whatever they can to refresh stale characters and convoluted storylines to attract new audiences and invigorate the die-hards. Trading Roy Halladay and arming this team for the future is the biggest re-tool and reboot this team's ever gone through.

I recognize getting any bums into seats this year will be difficult. Nearly impossible. But bums in seats won't matter in 2010. The young core you've assembled are the only thing that will drive attendance and interest in this team now and in the future. Only success will save us now.

Success needn't come overnight, but continuing the fresh outlook from this front office is the only way to go. Continue making inroads in Quebec, embrace new Canadians and finding new baseball teams. Continue hocking powder blue jerseys and white ball caps in the club shop if you must, but don't sell the present and the future short. Sell the youth. Sell the promise.

There certainly is a lot of promise. This team made out just fine in this trade and certainly has its share of pieces for the future. Enough young pitching exists that even if only 60% of it pans out, the team is set. These young players are the key, and the story you need to tell your fans and customers. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't give a shit about the old days anymore. They're gone.

So give Cito his victory lap then let him shuffle off into the sunset. You gave the old dogs from 92/93 their chance to reclaim the spotlight. When Joe Carter or whomever else comes sniffing around in 2012 or 2013 with thoughts of 20 year anniversaries on their mind, say thanks but no thanks. Hopefully the team you started building today can stand on its own merits by then. They certainly have a shot.

Selling to Quebec would be tough, typically they don't support anything from Toronto. However, the first thing I would do is move the Jays triple A team from Las Vegas to Montreal and call them the Royals. That is, if there is a park available? Montreal used to be a great triple A baseball town.

I like the idea of celebrating and respecting the team's history and its storied past. But this doesn't have to happen every Friday.

Because when you're bringing the carcass of Homer Bush back to town for the third straight year, that's not respecting the past.

Also, I'd revert back to the uni's that they wore in 1993 on a full time basis, but that's an argument that we've already had. But now, I assume your Batman fandom is responsible for your affection for the silver and black colour scheme.

How about a little more insight into what they got? I'm seeing a pitcher who already has had tommy john, an 3B who can't actually play 3B and a catcher who had a terrible season in SINGLE A. Tell me I'm wrong Drew!!!!